


The Night Before

by Boomchick



Series: Tumblr Prompts [14]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Loneliness, Sane Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII), self doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:20:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24585994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boomchick/pseuds/Boomchick
Summary: Oneshot prompt fill for Tumblr.In a world where Sephiroth never lost his mind, Cloud has a crisis of faith on the night before his Solider exam.
Relationships: Sephiroth & Cloud Strife
Series: Tumblr Prompts [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774831
Comments: 5
Kudos: 79





	The Night Before

**Author's Note:**

> One of a series of prompts written on Tumblr for those who are supporting the BLM movement. This one was requested by an anonymous user who asked: "Can we have sefikura with sephiroth encouraging/supporting a cloud trying to pass his soldier exams! (In a nibelheim didn’t happen universe)"
> 
> If you've donated, protested, or otherwise supported black lives, you can come and make a request too! https://boomchickfanfiction.tumblr.com/

“Put your shoulders down.” Sephiroth said, his voice clear over the headset Cloud was wearing.

“They ARE down.” Cloud growled, swinging. The monster that had risen up behind him fell beneath the training sword, and Cloud let the momentum carry him back to facing where he had been.

“Do you want my advice or not?”

“Sorry. Yeah, I do.”

“Then put your shoulders down.”

Cloud grit his teeth against annoyance and rolled his shoulders back.

“This is why you wear pauldrons, isn’t it.” He accused.

“No.” Sephiroth replied, sounding deeply unimpressed. “Keep your focus, Soldier.”

Yeah right, Cloud thought, even as he pushed forward. ‘Soldier.’ Maybe in my head…

His sword dipped a touch at the thought. He didn’t quite get it up in time to stop the sahagin that went for his face.

Cloud stumbled back out of surprise and fear, lifting his sword to defend, too late. But the sahagin was frozen in place, mouth open to crush Cloud’s face between its jaws.

Then it dissolved slowly, falling apart into pixels, and then into nothing.

Cloud pulled the headset off in frustration.

“Why didn’t you let it hit me?” He asked, turning behind himself as the empty wilderness dissolved around where Sephiroth was standing.

“A man once told me that pain is the best teacher.” Sephiroth said, waggling the kill switch he was holding. Then he dropped it to his side. “I hate that man.”

Cloud sighed, staring down at the sword he held, its tip touching the ground as his shoulders slumped. He shrugged, the vr headset feeling heavy in his hands.

“Maybe I just shouldn’t.” He said.

“Maybe not.” Sephiroth agreed, pushing off the wall and walking towards him.

“Wow,” Cloud laughed softly, his brows twisting. “Your faith in me is staggering.”

“My faith in you is not what’s lacking.” Sephiroth stopped before him, arms at his sides, head tilted.

“Then what is?” Cloud asked in frustration, spreading his hands, lifting his chin, glaring up at Sephiroth. “What am I missing?”

“Come,” Sephiroth said, gesturing to Cloud. “Leave the headset. Bring the sword.”

Cloud followed him, feeling anxiety and hope burning within him in equal measure. The Shinra builting still felt strange and quiet. The explosion in the labs three months ago had ground most of the company’s work to a halt. The remaining Soldiers and troopers had been stuck in the building, helping with cleanup and recovery. Missions had been put on hold except for the essential, with Heideggar out of commission.

It was only because of those three months that Sephiroth was even here. Well… Really it was because of Zack. Zack and his need to fix everything. Especially his friends…

“Sir?” Cloud asked. “Where are we going?”

“Come on.” Sephiroth said rather than answering, pressing his pass over the elevator door.

“Oh, I… Can take the stairs.” Cloud said uncertainly. Motion sickness still got to him some days.

“I live at the top.” Sephiroth said flatly. “Use the elevator.”

Cloud stepped inside, and gripped the handle tightly, keeping his eyes fixed on the closed door rather than glancing out the glass sides.

“You dislike them?” Sephiroth asked after four floors.

“More like they dislike me.” Cloud muttered.

“Ah,” Sephiroth said a few floors later. “Your motion sickness. I had forgotten.”

“It’s fine, sir.” Cloud managed, keeping himself steady by gripping the elevator side.

“Why didn’t you remind me?”

“It’s stupid.” Cloud said.

“It’s a part of your reality.” Sephiroth said. “A requirement for your comfort.”

“It’s embarrassing.” Cloud shot back, tilting his head towards Sephiroth without looking away from the door. “It’s just another thing that makes me–”

He hesitated. Trailed off. Looked down at the floor.

“Makes me weak.” He muttered.

There was silence for a while, then Sephiroth heaved a slow sigh. Cloud glanced up, watching him lean against the side of the elevator, watching him.

“Do you feel shame for being weak?” He asked.

“Obviously.” Cloud said. “I want to be a Soldier. Like you.”

“Ah,” Sephiroth said. “I see where you’ve made your error.”

“Where?” Cloud asked. “Trying to be something I’m not?”

“Assuming what I am.” Sephiroth replied, shaking his head.

The door opened at last, and Sephiroth stepped out into yet another smooth, perfect hallway. Cloud followed him, feet dragging a little. He glanced around, trying to get a handle on where they were.

“Sir,” He said after a moment. “This is up in the residential area, isn’t it? It looks like where Zack’s apartment is.”

“Yes.” Sephiroth replied, scanning his key card once more and stepping through a door. “Come in.”

Cloud held very still, staring in after Sephiroth.

This is his apartment, he found himself thinking, shocked and shaken. This is his…

“Cloud.” Sephiroth prompted.

“Yes sir!” Cloud squeaked, and slid through the door after him, letting it close behind him.

The apartment was a lot like Zack’s. Except there was WAY less random crap. It was just on the empty side of nice. A little too barren. But Cloud immediately scolded himself internally for walking into someone else’s house and critiquing their design sensibilities.

“Do you like tea?” Sephiroth asked, walking into his apartment as if it was normal to have random troopers over.

“Um,” Cloud shifted. Should he take his shoes off? Should he say thank you? Why was he here??? “Y-yeah. Tea sounds nice? If it’s no trouble?”

“Stop hovering in the doorway,” Sephiroth instructed from the other room.

“Sorry!” Cloud said, broken out of his internal stalemate by the rebuke.

He followed Sephiroth into the kitchen, still holding his sword. He didn’t know where else to put it, and Sephiroth had told him to bring it along.

“Um,” He said, watching Sephiroth fill his kettle. That… Was a sight. He’d never imagined how Sephiroth would look not being… Glorious, or soldier-like or… He was just.. Filling a kettle. In that black coat. With his gleaming silver hair, and his incredible eyes and…

“You’re wondering why you’re here.” Sephiroth said.

“Kind of. Not that I mind! Just… Sort of a surprise.”

“It is because,” Sephiroth said, setting the kettle aside and turning the dial on his gas range, striking a match and putting the kettle over the flame. “You have a big test tomorrow, and you are going to tear yourself apart if you keep throwing yourself into training simulations.”

“What?” He asked. “No. I’m just… I have to be prepared.”

“You are.”

“Zack said you wanted to help. If you didn’t want to–”

“Zack was correct.” Sephiroth turned from the stove, meeting Cloud’s gaze. “And I AM helping.”

He opened a cabinet. Pulled down two mugs. One of them was well used. Shinra logo, boring, but clean and ready. The other was dusty with disuse. Sephiroth turned it over in his hands briefly before stripping out of his gloves to wash it. Cloud’s eyes fixed, without his full consent, on the number '1’ tattooed on Sephiroth’s palm.

“You are your own worst enemy, Cloud Strife.” Sephiroth continued, refusing to acknowledge the secrets that Cloud was suddenly privy to. The tattoo. The disused mug. Cloud was Sephiroth’s first guest in a long time.

“Yeah,” Cloud said after a moment. “Zack says so too.”

“I understand.” Sephiroth said, inspecting the now cleaned mug briefly before pulling a dish towel down to dry it. “I am my own worst enemy as well.”

“You? But sir, you’re…”

“Cloud.” Sephiroth said, turning to him again, setting down the dried mug. “I am asking you, as a friend, not to say 'perfect.’”

“Oh,” Cloud said softly, staring. “Are… We’re friends?”

“I brought you over for tea, didn’t I?” Sephiroth asked. “Take a seat.”

Cloud glanced around. Set his sword down against the wall uncertainly and sat at the small kitchen table.

He had a sudden image in his head. An image of Sephiroth, sitting alone in this room, with his Shinra mug, eating dinner by himself…

“You said earlier,” Cloud said softly. “That maybe I shouldn’t take the test tomorrow. Do you really think that?”

“Do you?” Sephiroth asked, staring down at his kettle and the steam starting to spout from it.

“I don’t know.” Cloud said softly.

“Make up your mind.” Sephiroth advised, lifting the tea kettle just before it started to whistle. “Whatever you decide will be the right answer. You just have to decide it.”

“Is that what you did?” Cloud asked, lifting his eyes. “When you joined?”

“I never got a choice.” Sephiroth said. “That’s why I will not make this decision for you.”

He set down a steaming mug in front of Cloud. Turned back to the counter and picked up a small pot of honey, placing it on the table as well before sitting across from him, cradling his own cup as if it were not burning hot.

“But I do want to assist you. That is why you’re here.”

“Some sort of secret training?” Cloud asked hopefully.

“If it helps you to think of it that way,” Sephiroth chuckled. “But I doubt you will find it so exciting. It is necessary, though.”

“Okay.” Cloud said softly, steeling himself. “I’ll do it. Whatever it is.”

“Good.” Sephiroth praised, and Cloud felt himself blush. “Then let’s begin.”

He leaned forward, smooth. Beautiful. Powerful…

“Tell me, Cloud.” He said, soft and smooth. “Why do you want to be a Soldier?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and for the request!  
> Please donate to https://atlsolidarity.org/ if you can to support my local BLM movement, or find the organization closest to you and support them!


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